As senior year comes to a close, many seniors look forward to all of the activities they can participate in, such as Grad Night, Prom, and Senior Assassin. Senior Assassin is a game where students are assigned a target that they must eliminate with silly string within a set period of time. Students are allowed to wear a floatie that essentially serves as protection from the silly string. However, at many high schools, including Yorba Linda High School, teachers and administrators have raised concerns over the impact on both student attendance and safety. 

Many seniors would argue that Senior Assassin is a core memory and an overall fun experience to end high school with. With all of the college decisions coming out and finals coming up, Senior Assassin is a great avenue that allows seniors to simply have fun and destress. Usually, the students running Senior Assassin create rules to ensure that everyone has an equally enjoyable experience and stays safe at the same time. Students are not permitted to eliminate each other in restricted locations, such as at school, the gym, banquets, practices, and any other places where students are expected to be. Precious Hoang (12) says, “Senior Assassin is one of the senior activities that I was most excited for, so I think everyone deserves to experience it because it is a really memorable experience.”

On the other hand, many teachers and administrators have been raising concerns about safety and attendance. Some seniors may either arrive late, leave early, or even skip the school day as a whole in hopes of not being eliminated or getting their target.

Senioritis also plays a major factor in the high number of absences that seniors have towards the end of the year. Additionally, many worry about the safety of the students as the large prize can drive an individual to make impulsive decisions under the pressure of getting their target in time. Due to these valid concerns, a few schools have either discouraged or banned Senior Assassin.

However, Senior Assassin does not have to completely disappear from schools. There can be a compromise between students and schools whether that is by placing stricter regulations or by enforcing attendance expectations. Senior Assassin is a great way for seniors to enjoy their last few weeks of high school. “It is important to balance enjoyment and responsibility as it is the only way seniors can continue to participate in Senior Assassin in the future,” explains Tara Chen (12).